The 210-year history of the Emmitsburg area cannot be
told apart from the church congregations it embraces because
that is the best part of the Emmitsburg story. The right to
worship God according to individual faith and tradition was more
important than the economic reasons that drove the first
settlers here in the 1730's. English, German, Irish and Scotch
poured through the ports of Philadelphia and Annapolis and found
their way to the foot of the Catoctin Mountains. One by one,
small congregations appeared and in time began to build a town.
The first known church in the area was a log
church built on an acre of ground (near the present Tom's
Creek Methodist church three miles east of town) in 1757 and
belonging to the Lutheran and Reformed
congregations. Shortly after that, on the second Sunday of
September in 1760, the
Presbyterian church was
established when the Reverend Robert McMordie was appointed to
serve at "Monakasy" (Monacacy). This Tom's Creek
Presbyterian church stood about a mile north of Emmitsburg
along the Gettysburg Road (US. 15). The adjoining cemetery,
which dates to March 11, 1764, still is maintained by the
Emmitsburg church. One of the graves is that of Samuel Emmit,
known as the founder of Emmitsburg.
The first church within the town itself was
built on the square. Legend has it that Father Matthew Ryan from
Path Valley, PA suggested to James Hughes that he build a church
and gave him ten dollars as the first donation. Hughes built a
brick building on the square with one large room reserved for
religious ceremonies and Mass said by traveling priests. This
was the start of the present day parish of St. Joseph's
founded in 1786. These traveling priests were probably the same
Jesuit missionaries who served northern Frederick County known
at that time as the Elder Settlement area.
By 1793, when St.
John's in Frederick became a parish, Elder Station (the St.
Anthony's area) was attended by St. John's rectors. The first
resident priest in the area was Father John DuBois who became
pastor of St. Joseph's in 1805 and of a new chapel called St. Mary's of the Mount in 1806. This chapel served the
congregation to which
St. Anthony’s Shrine became the
successor. Father DuBois then founded Mt. St. Mary's in 1808.
In 1797, a group of Methodists under the
leadership of Robert Strawbridge purchased the old Tom's Creek
log church from the Lutheran and the Reformed congregations and
used it until the present structure was built in 1904 (Tom's
Creek Methodist). The Lutheran and Reformed congregations
came to Emmitsburg (1797) and built the present stone sanctuary
known as
Elias Lutheran Church.
In 1810, the village of Emmitsburg is said to
have had 700 inhabitants, half of them Catholics, "who got
on very well with their Protestant neighbors". (Ecumenism
had begun.)
The Methodists built their first structure in
Emmitsburg in 1833 on West Main Street. They had been
worshipping in a house-chapel owned by William Moreland. The
current structure for the Trinity Methodists was built in
1897.
On January 23, 1839, the church known as the Tom's
Creek Presbyterian church was moved to a structure at its
present site within the corporate limits of Emmitsburg. The
building was remodeled in 1869 and then torn down to make way
for a handsome new brick structure, Gothic in style with an
imposing steeple, which was completed in 1879.
On May 6, 1841, a cornerstone was laid and
blessed for the new St. Joseph's church at its present
site. Some of those attending were Samuel Eccleston (Archbishop
of Baltimore), Rev Philip Borgna, C.M. (Pastor), William Grayson
(Governor of Maryland), Roger B. Taney (Chief Justice of the
United States) and John Tehan (the architect). The church
building was completed in 1852 and the Vincentians, priests of
the Congregation of the Mission, took over from the priests of
Mt. St. Marys.
In 1869, the Reformed congregation, who
had been worshipping at Elias, built their church on the current
site of the Incarnation United Church of Christ. In the
meantime, Presidents of Mt. St. Mary's had been serving as
rectors of St. Mary's of the Mount and did so until about
1895. In that year it became apparent the old St. Mary's of
the Mount could no longer serve the needs of the people and
Father John Manley, its pastor, broke ground for a new rectory
and chapel dedicated in 1897 as St. Anthony Shrine Parish.
Since these early beginnings, our church
structures have undergone some changes and expansions and in
some cases have had to survive major catastrophes. The current
Presbyterian
church was rebuilt in 1904 after being struck by lightning in
1902 and St. Mary's of the Mount burned in 1913. The
current Incarnation church underwent major rebuilding
after a fire in 1950. However, there has also been some
expansion with the latest being the new St. Joseph's Parish
Hall, dedicated on March 22, 1992 by the Archbishop of Baltimore
(now Cardinal), William H. Keeler.
Now, a little information about the "Council
of Churches". The Emmitsburg Council of Churches was
formed in 1966 and its Executive Committee includes the Pastors
and two members from each of the local churches. Its purpose, as
stated in its constitution, is to "provide the framework
whereby the member congregations worship and work
together". This phrase "work together" has, we
believe, not only brought about some very positive relationships
between the community churches but also produced some noteworthy
results.
Over the years it has sponsored many community
events such as "Community Days" honoring our local
doctors, pastors, firemen, the Ambulance Corps and the American
Legion and VFW. It initiated the Senior Citizens Group,
organized the first Community Choir in 1967 and directs and
sponsors the very popular yearly Vacation Church School. It has
supported national efforts such as Project Hope, CROP and the
Hurricane Hugo Relief Committee. However, its primary efforts
and major funding requirements are currently focused on helping
those within the community who need temporary help in making
ends meet (rent, heat, electricity, etc.).
As noted above, our constitution also
refers to the congregations worshipping together and this we do
every Thanksgiving, Easter Sunrise and during the Sunday
evenings of Lent. These services rotate between our member
congregations: St. Anthony's Catholic Church, Elias
Lutheran Church,
The Daughters of Charity,
Incarnation United Church of Christ, St. Joseph's
Catholic Church, Mt. St. Mary’s Chapel,
Trinity United
Methodist Church, Tom's Creek Methodist Church and
the United Presbyterian Church. The uniqueness of these
services is that the community aspect is emphasized; for
example, pastors preach the homilies at other than their own
parish. (The Easter Sunrise Service is always held at the
Grotto.) These community services are the primary source of the
Council's funds.
In addition to church's,
Emmitsburg is also the proud home of Catholic Education
Ministries Center. The Catholic Education Ministries Center is a resource center for
Roman Catholic parishes in Frederick, Carroll and Washington
Counties. In addition to providing consultation and services
to those who run religion programs in the 21 parishes and 5
Catholic schools of the region, The Center also provide information
and links to parishes in the region on our site.
The Center was formed in 1978 as
a joint project of the Central Maryland parishes and the
Archdiocese. The role of the Center was to serve as a
representative of what was then known as the Department of
Christian Formation in Central Maryland.
To learn more about Emmitsburg's rich history,
visit the Emmitsburg Historical Society Section of Emmitsburg.net
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